Category Archives: Uncategorized
Samaritan Hospice
Sometimes I sit around and wonder what it would be like to be any number of things that I am not – a teacher, an athlete, a veterinarian, a retail store owner, a member of the military, a fisherman.
A nurse.
The nurse thing always gets me thinking. At one point I did believe I wanted to be a nurse, but as I worked through my high school programs at Camden County Technical School I realized that I did not.
It wasn’t until a few months ago that I began to really take a hard look at the work nurses do. As I spent the last 3 months of my great aunt’s life getting to know her hospice nurses I couldn’t help but wonder how they manage to get out of bed every day and go to work.
The outcome, for a hospice nurse, is the same – for every single patient.
These women were special. They were incredibly friendly, had bubbly personalities, and were as professional as you could possibly imagine. And I truly believe that each and every one of the women on my aunt’s team grew to love her as they cared for her. They showed it. Aunt Dot loved them, too. She frequently told me how wonderful they were.
A few days before my aunt passed, the nurse who visited the house told me it was time to call the family to come and see her for the last time. We thought she wouldn’t make it through the night, let alone the weekend.
The nurse moved quickly. We changed her nightgown, gave her a sponge bath, combed her hair, and did all we could to make her feel pretty for her trip home. She called the chaplain, reiterated what I could expect, made sure all of my contact information was still accessible, and went on her way – almost sad she couldn’t stay with us. She told me on her way out the door that two of her other patients were in the exact same condition.
The house filled with people. The chaplain came and sat with us. Even the social worker stopped by – though she actually didn’t know what was going on. She just wanted to make sure we were all adjusting to my aunt’s move into the house earlier that week.
My aunt wasn’t ready to go. Friday turned into Monday and things were back to normal. I instructed everyone to go to work and do what they needed to do. Aunt Dot passed away sometime around 1pm, and I knew what to do. When I called Samaritan, they kindly and gently told me they’d page my nurse.
She called back within moments. She said she was on her way. She had a distance to travel. When Aunt Dot moved from the assisted living facility into our home she had technically moved out of the district her nurses handled. They refused to give her up as a patient.
Then I started going down the list of family members I needed to call. The rest of the afternoon was, for lack of a better word, very strange. There were tons of people in my apartment and then – suddenly – it was just me.
My aunt’s hospice team was from Samaritan. Samaritan provided my aunt with medication, medical supplies, equipment when she moved into my house, 2 nurses, a home health aid, a chaplain, a social worker, and a myriad of other services. They worked with her from a time where she was communicative and able-bodied until the very last day.
When Aunt Dot passed away, I told my mom, aunt, and grandmom that my request was for her obituary to suggest donations to Samaritan. While my aunt’s health insurance paid for her care, it is obvious that the organization goes above and beyond the call of duty every single day. And, if you don’t have insurance, they’ll still work with you.
Anyway. My point? It’s been over 3 months and every night I say a special prayer for the nurses and aids that visited my aunt every week. They have gigantic hearts. They must feel pain we’ll never know. They must question their paths constantly and they still do their jobs every day.
They deserve to be acknowledged.
UNF–K The Gulf. Really?
Watching the news really tends to irritate me. I find the negative reporting and obvious bias somewhat unnerving and a bit depressing. Still, it’s usually on in the background each morning as I prepare to start my day.
This morning I heard a teaser about a new video called “UNF–K the Gulf.” They were reporting on it not because it is a really well-done video with a great concept and unique (albiet vulgar) take on the situation down along the gulf coast. They were reporting on it simply because the video features not only adults, but children.
I have to admit, I found it rather amusing.
Alright, alright – kids shouldn’t be learning how to use the “F” word. But I have a feeling these kids were coached and I sincerely doubt they’re going to be running around tomorrow flipping the bird and cursing out every person they come across.
Anyway, here’s the video. Check it out, enjoy it, and maybe even go visit the UNF–K the Gulf website and buy a t-shirt. I know I might.
I Am Not a Crap Magnet
Seriously. I’m not.
It was just yesterday that I received an email from GratitudeLog that actually made me stop and think. GratitudeLog is an application similar to Twitter, on which you are supposed to write something you are grateful for each day.
Anyway, here’s the majority of the email:
I came across this really powerful quote today.
It goes like this:“When you complain, you become a living, breathing
crap magnet.”What an awesome quote! If you take a close look
at your life… can you see periods when you fell
into this pattern and things just kept getting
worse and worse?I sure have. Most often, I have noticed this in
my relationships. As soon as you start focusing
on the stuff that bothers you the relationships
take a turn for the worse.It is the best and fastest way to see that
“what you focus on expands.”That is why I wanted to share this quote with you.
It left a sting in my belly because I had to admit
that sometimes I am a crap magnet. At least now
that I am aware of it, I can also choose to snap
out of it as quickly as I see it.What is even better is that the opposite is also true:
“When you express gratitude, you become a living,
breathing money magnet.”So, if you have not expressed gratitude yet, I
encourage you to do so now.
I sat here and thought about it for a little bit. I realized that the quote isn’t really far from correct. I mean, everyone complains every once in a while, but there are a few people who just can’t stop – ever. Even the best of us go through down-periods where we just can’t stop focusing on a negative issue. And we become crap magnets – attracting all of the other crap in the world because – there we are – vibrating on a crappy level.
The things you focus on the most are the things you get. If you focus on how unhappy you are, you’ll be unhappy. If you focus on something positive, no matter how small, that positive influence will begin to have a great and greater impact on your life.
So think about it for a while. You certainly deserve a bad day here and there, but are you in a permanently crappy mood? If so, you may be bringing it on yourself without even realizing it.
Think of something positive in your life – or think of a positive outcome that may come from a crappy situation – or think of something other than what you’re doing (whatever is making you unhappy) that you’d like to do instead.
Got it? Focus on it. Do just what Mike from GratitudeLog says and “snap out of it.” You can influence your own thought process, even in the roughest of times.
Adopt an attitude of gratitude – for even the littlest things – even on the worst of days.
Let me know how it goes.
Hot Sites for Downloading Today’s Hottest Tunes
Sharing music is more popular than ever before. Only a decade ago, sharing music was completely taboo. Record labels and singer-songwriters scoffed at the idea of students sharing music – resulting in a loss of financial benefit.
During the last several years, quite a few great music sharing services have been developed in an effort to give people the opportunity to legally download their favorite tunes without stealing profits from producers. David Galper, creator of the now nonexistent Ruckus Network, at one point tried to design a sponsored network to give college students music without a fee. While David Galper was unsuccessful in the long-term, a few other services did. These are a few of the best places where you can find music on the Internet.
Rhapsody
Rhapsody is a newer service – and can be considered one of the most cut and dry. After trying a fourteen day trial, members pay $10 per month to download as many tunes as they’d like. Rhapsody has a huge library of tunes, and continues to expand. The only negative to this program is that users are only able to transfer their downloads to one MP3 player (iPod, iPhone, Android, etc) per membership.
Napster
Napster is a familiar name amongst music lovers. Napster has been in existence for over a decade but has, in the past few, become a credible resource. Members will sign up for a monthly, quarterly, or yearly membership. The membership gives members to have access to a large library of over nine million songs – all of which can be listened to on-demand. Those who want to download songs will need to pay for download credits. Otherwise, listen at your leisure.
iTunes
iTunes likely the most popular file sharing services on the web today. Has anyone not at least of Apple or iPod? Downloading the software to your computer, and the iTunes library does include several free tunes. Otherwise, all purchases can be paid for by individual track or full album – your choice.
The obsession the world has with awesome music will never go away. These services will give you access to thousands and thousands of amazing tunes put out by just as many talented artists – including those you might have never had the chance to hear if you merely depended on your average department store . Enjoy your downloads!
Check Out These Articles for More Info on David Galper:
- Is Music Sharing Profitable? Or was David Galper Wrong?
- Music Sharing Today – The David Galper Method
- Sharing Music Online – From David Galper to Present Day
- Top Places to Find Music Online – Online Music Sharing after David Galper
Shopping with Shopwiki
Not long ago I stumbled upon an opportunity to work with an up and coming new website – Shopwiki. Shopwiki isn’t your average shopping site. It’s filled with a series of buying guides written by people who have already used, purchased, or have had experiences with the items in question. They’re average people, like you and me, writing informational buying guides about the things we use every day.
Within each Shopwiki buying guide you’ll find a lot of informative information about the category you’re searching. You’ll find facts, tips, tricks – and even pros and cons. Some guides compare brands, while others offer a bit of history. Regardless, you’ll find exactly what you need to make a decision about your future purchase.
Click on any of the links in the buying guide and you’ll be taken to a list of sites selling the product you’re looking for. You can easily compare the prices offered by a number of large-name stores and, with the click of a button, go directly to that shop. Shopwiki is designed to make your life easier. Give it a try.
Full disclosure: I am an independent Shopwiki contributor, paid by Shopwiki to create and link to content
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Last week, in the midst of both of us being incredibly sick with the worst head cold on earth, Forrest went to the local Produce Junction and bought a ton of fruit. The bananas have been staring at me for days and there was an unopened container of walnuts on the desk at the school. I thought I’d use the walnuts and bananas to bake some sort of bread.
Of course, then I started looking up recipes and I found one for Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread, which sounded way better than a simple banana bread with nuts in it. Of course, I never ended up using the nuts but I’m not upset over a trivial fact like that. They can always be thrown into some other dish.
Anyway, you can find the recipe for the Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread over on the Sugar Plum blog. It’s delicious, although I don’t really taste the peanut butter (problem solved by smearing more on before you eat it)!
One of these days I’ll get my act together and find my camera take pictures of my food before I eat it. If you try it, let me know how it turns out!
Candied Ginger Recipe
Fresh ginger isn’t something most people keep in their kitchens. Why? I have no idea. Ginger is so incredibly good for you, with a number of health benefits including use as a digestive aid and to promote circulation. Candied ginger isn’t something I make very often but when I do it seems to fly out of the kitchen. It’s a bit of a process but it’s very easy to make, so here it is.
You’ll need the following ingredients:
- Fresh ginger root (try to get it from a produce stand instead of a regular grocery store for better bang for your buck)
- Sugar
- Water
Start by peeling the ginger root and cutting it into bite sized pieces. Measure the amount of ginger root you have cut and put it into a pot. Measure the same amount of sugar and water as you had ginger and put that into the pot as well. (So, for example, if you had 1 cup of cut ginger root you’ll need 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water).
Bring the mixture to a boil and then immediately bring it down to a simmer. Allow the mixture to simmer until about 1/5 or 1/6 of the liquid in the pot has disappeared. Turn the mixture to an even lower simmer, put a lid on the pot, and allow it to cook for 1 minute longer. Remove from heat but DO NOT remove the lid.
When the pot cools, put it in the refrigerator.
The next day you’ll take out the pot, remove the lid, and bring it to a boil again. Immediately bring it to a simmer, let it roll for just a few minutes, turn the simmer down very low, replace the lid, simmer for 1 minute, and remove the pot from the heat.
Repeat this process every day.
On the 7th day, heat the pot just a little so that the syrup (it’ll be syrup by then) isn’t so thick. This makes it easier to drain the ginger out of the syrup.
Line a baking pan with wax paper. Spread some sugar generously across the wax paper. Strain the ginger out of the syrup and place it on the sugar on the pan. Sprinkle more sugar over top of the ginger on the pan.
Allow the ginger to sit out until it dries completely. I recommend moving the ginger around once or twice so that it can turn over and, if you need to , move the ginger to a new, dry, piece of wax paper so that it can get away from some of the moisture left on the pan from draining.
When it’s completely dry, package it in an airtight container. Eat & enjoy!
Oh – and here’s the best part. Don’t throw away the syrup that was in the pot. Pour it into a container or two and place it in the fridge or freezer. It makes a great, strong, ginger-infused sweetener for tea, especially if you aren’t feeling well!
